Rip
by ConfusedZebra
Summary: A certain traveler nearly loses a dear friend. Terrible summary is terrible, oneshot


**Rip**

The wind howled furiously as another gust blasted against our temporary shelter. I shivered violently, feeling the hem of my cloak beginning to harden into ice. The image of the unfortunate creatures that had frozen in midair, their motionless bodies drifting downwards to rest stiffly in the snow, filled me with new found fear. I tried to revive them, I really did. I watched hopefully as my calls made their fabric shine and flap in the wind, only to freeze over again. My attempts were fruitless; I couldn't save them._ I can't end up like that. I can't_. That fate, however, didn't seem as bad compared to being swallowed up by the large, serpentine war machines. I could hear their strange guttural groans above me. All it would take is for one of us to stumble into its beam, it'd growl and swoop down suddenly, and we'd be gone. Just like the delicate little schools of creatures that swam through the underground. Ironic that the only shelter we could find from the war machines in the blizzard was in the disembodied carapace of one of their brethren.

I thought about everything that could go wrong over and over, twittering quietly in my anxiety. My companion seemed to take notice. She huddled closer, letting her long, golden scarf be draped over me by the blowing of the wind. In the midst of this harsh, unforgiving situation she still stood resolute. She always seemed to know where to go, remaining calm and kind throughout our entire sojourn together. I remember meeting her at the top of a tower amidst the rolling dunes of the desert. I didn't believe what I saw at first. Her white robe seemed to glow in the warm sunlight, in stark contrast to the lurid world around us. I had met another being like us before, one clad in red like me, but he had more gold designs on his robe than I did. I tried to keep up but I lost him in the never-ending dunes. But she was far different. She stopped right in her tracks and floated gracefully down to me, warbling happily. It was so wonderful to have a friend in the arid desert. She bore such a striking resemblance to the great being I had met earlier in my meditation, that I decided that she must have been sent by her to help me.

Her support strengthened me. Her confidence made me feel like everything would turn out alright. I felt faint warmth returning to my body thanks to her standing closer. The symbols and patterns on our robes glowed faintly, emanating that familiar twinkling sound. That was another curious thing about her. She was stronger than me, and more knowledgeable. She didn't need me to get up the mountain, making the fact that she still stayed with me even more comforting. I chirped inquisitively to her, but her dark face remained focused on the environment outside the stone segment we hid in. There were only hills of snow, no more shelters ahead of us aside from the promising archway that stood at the end of the valley. Once we got in there, we expected to finally be safe from the machines. She waited patiently, silently, listening for the groans of the monsters. It was oddly quiet, aside from the whistling wind. Finally she faced me again, sounding one soft, yet firm note to me. It was time to go. She took a few careful steps out of the carapace, checking the skies for any sign of our pursuers. Unfortunately, the heavy snowfall made for poor visibility. She signaled back to me, and I ran without hesitation. Once I caught up we both broke into a run to make for the archway. The wind wouldn't have any of it though. I cried out when a sudden blast of icy air hit me. I was buffeted backwards, away from my companion who had managed to stay planted against the forceful gusts. I felt the cold seeping back into me. The fabric of my cloak was stiffening, freezing quickly. The snow beat against me as I desperately tried to struggle against it. I tried to call out, but I couldn't hear myself over the roar of the blizzard. Terror filled by entire being as I was consumed by the frigid, spiteful cold. It seemed like quite a while before the wind reluctantly ceased from torturing me. Part of me wanted to just lie still and rest, but better judgment forced me off the ground. I looked up to see her bright eyes piercing the dim air, and I felt safe again for a moment. She was beside me in and instant, chirping reassuringly yet urgently. We weren't out of danger just yet. I regained my bearings and began running with her again. The wind blew me back a considerable distance, but it wasn't too far. I thought we were going to make it, until the unrelenting sound of the storm was joined by the purring of the mechanical beast. I heard the wind shifting beside us, as if something very large was swooping through it. My companion's composure was broken, she was running as fast as she could, hustling me along beside her. The archway suddenly seemed more distant than it was before. I glanced across the hills, and I saw it. It was gliding just above the ground, scanning the area with its pale blue light. Its exposed eye glinted through the darkness, followed by its long, segmented body. It was turning sharply, to my dread, preparing to fly in our exact direction. My partner froze. The large, cool blue ellipse was inching its way closer to us. I wanted to attempt to evade it, but it was too large. The imposing range was impossible to escape. She glanced back at me, and for the first time, I saw fear. _We are doomed_. The sadness and defeat overtook me. I shakily tried to utter out an apology or a goodbye but the severe expression she wore made me feel unable to form the notes. The next moment happened so quickly. She swiftly flapped upwards and kicked me away without warning. I felt so ashamed and hurt as I tumbled through the snow. It was my fault we were going to be devoured, and she was angry at me. I couldn't blame her. I somberly raised my head to face our fate. But instead, I saw her charging forward at the machine, singing as loudly as she could. She entered its beam, and the sky was filled with its terrible mechanical hum. The eye turned faint red, illuminating her silhouette in a torrid glow. Clumps of snow were pulled up slowly by the beam and whirled around her, melting. She stood still. None of it was registering. Why would she do this? My feelings of self-pity were gone in an instant. I hoisted myself from the earth and tried to sprint to her, crying out to her in desperation. The machine arched upwards, its face sliding forward to cover its incandescent eye . For a split moment, the humming stopped. The wind even seemed to fall into hushed anticipation. I screamed to her, in a last attempt to convince her to try to escape. She turned and her eyes met mine, but she didn't appear afraid. Why?

The machine roared deafeningly, drowning out everything in the horrible din, and dove at her with alarming speed. Her body was jerked cruelly from the hill when it caught her by her scarf. Her tall, confident form was suddenly so light and delicate, like a single snowflake. I fell to my knees in horror, watching her limbs flail helplessly behind her. Her body thrashed like a strip of fabric in the harsh wind, trailing from the maw of that pitiless beast. I couldn't will myself to watch and slumped forward, burying my face in the wet snow. All I wished for now was her suffering to end. The grating noise of shredded fabric never came though. Instead, a loud and resounding SNAP startled me from my position. I wrenched my gaze back to the sky.

Her body was falling with the torrent of snowflakes, left behind by the machine that now ascended above the cliffs that confined us within the valley. Shreds of burning energy leaked from its emotionless face. A searing glow shone from the end of her scarf as she drifted downwards, which was now considerably shorter, burning like the vivid sun. It only got part of her scarf, by some miracle I figured. I ignored my stiff legs, refusing to let the cold take me, and trudged through the snow as quickly as I could muster to try to catch her. Despite my effort, she disappeared behind a drift, and snow flew up from where her body had hit. My strength was giving out on me; I could barely pull myself up that drift. If it weren't for her ebony face, I wouldn't have been able to find her pure white form within the snow. I stumbled forward and crouched beside her. Her body lay in an awkward slump, half-covered in snow. The ground was fixated by her blank gaze. I tried to sing aloud to wake her, but it was becoming increasingly difficult; my insides felt tight and icy.

A small tune distracted me. It was almost inaudible, but I recognized the tingling reverberation that our robes emitted when we stood close to each other. Her embroideries were glowing along with mine, just not quite as bright. I couldn't hear the wind anymore, or the distant growls of the war machines. There was just her, my friend. I warbled softly to her, bowing my head and attempting to somewhat shield her from the storm around us. There was no response, but I could have sworn I felt her shift slightly. Little excited chirps escaped me as I watched her intently for any other sign of life. When moved her head, I felt like everything was alright again. She stared up at me silently but I could observe a feeble sort of happiness in her expression. _You risked your safety for me, and all I ever did was hinder you_. A mix of joy and gratitude washed over me. I sang my thanks over and over as she started to sit up, probably to the point of obnoxiousness, but I couldn't help it. She responded with weak notes between my various eager ones. I would have liked to remain there, but the brutal cold and threatening growls of the monsters were firm reminders that we needed to keep moving.

I stood up and chirped to her amiably. I winced at the obvious discomfort she was experiencing when she got up, but offered my immediate support. She seemed grateful to lean on me as we shambled to the archway. The beast seemed temporarily satisfied by its last attack, mark temporarily. We finally made it through the structure, into a narrow stone crevice. Overhead I heard the wavering calls of the other creatures, flying in groups above us. Their simple, elegant songs reminded me of those mirthful hours I spent with her in the pink desert. There I felt blissfully unaware of the history of this desolate world, or the hardships that were in store for me. On a brighter note, I was ecstatic that my companion was alright. I checked her again and again, and to my relief her strength was returning. She still needed help over the natural steps the rocks formed though. It felt strange to assume a new role in our partnership. Instead of me relying on her, she relied on me. If I was going to protect us, there were no more margins for mistakes. But I could be stronger for her. It was the least I could do.


End file.
